Top Christie strategist gets subpoena over George Washington Bridge scandal

May 8, 2014

The special legislative panel investigating the George Washington Bridge lane-closure scandal has subpoenaed documents from Michael DuHaime, a close political adviser to Gov. Chris Christie. / Home News Tribune File photo

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@MichaelSymons_

TRENTON — Gov. Chris Christie’s top political strategist has two weeks to give the Legislature documents that might shed light on the George Washington Bridge lane closures and the efforts to quell their political damage.

Michael DuHaime was issued a subpoena giving him until May 19 to provide emails, text messages and other records dating back to August about the sudden closure of lanes connecting Fort Lee with the bridge and about Mayor Mark Sokolich, whose reluctance to endorse Christie’s re-election may have motivated the closure. DuHaime’s lawyer said the subpoena was unnecessary, since he had already promised to cooperate.

The subpoena specifically requests information about a Nov. 11 meeting between DuHaime and David Wildstein, the now-former Port Authority of New York and New Jersey executive who appears to have coordinated the lane-closure operation, as well as conversations on Dec. 11, 12 and 13 between DuHaime and Christie, Wildstein and former campaign manager William Stepien.

Those conversations would have happened in the days leading up to the forced resignation of Port Authority deputy director Bill Baroni. DuHaime’s consulting firm considered hiring Baroni, before the bridge-controversy emails released in January compelled it to reconsider.

DuHaime will comply with the subpoena and has told the committee he would provide documents without a subpoena being issued, said his attorney, Marc Mukasey.

“Mike has cooperated in the past and will cooperate here as well,” Mukasey said.

“He was not involved in the decisions around the lane closures, as has been well-established at this point,” Mukasey said. “That simple fact, plus the fact that Mike offered to cooperate without need of a subpoena, gives us great concern that this is really about politics and the chairman’s political future. That would be unfortunate to say the least.”

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The special investigatory committee is co-chaired by Senate Majority Leader Loretta Weinberg, D-Bergen, and Assemblyman John Wisniewski, D-Middlesex. Republicans have increasingly attacked the motivations for the investigation and suggest Wisniewski has an eye on running for governor in 2017.

“The subpoena is part of the committee's continued, bipartisan investigation into the lane closings and apparent abuse of government power,” Weinberg and Wisniewski said in a statement. “The committee will follow the facts to get the truth so that the people of New Jersey get the answers they deserve.”

DuHaime, a partner at Mercury Public Affairs with ties in national Republican politics, coordinated political strategy for Christie’s 2009 and 2013 gubernatorial campaigns. He was interviewed twice, on March 11 and 13, for the internal investigation commissioned by Christie’s office and conducted by the Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher law firm.

DuHaime talked with Wildstein about the bridge at Rockin’ Joe’s coffee shop in Westfield in November. They had become friends through the late Rep. Bob Franks’ campaign for U.S. Senate in 1999 and 2000.

Wildstein told DuHaime the lane closures were part of a traffic study, the idea for the closures was his and that people in Christie’s office knew ahead of time, according to the Gibson Dunn interview notes. By early December, Wildstein had told him then deputy chief of staff Bridget Anne Kelly and Stepien knew about the closures beforehand.

DuHaime relayed those details to Christie in a phone call around Dec. 11.

On Dec. 13, after Christie demanded in a senior staff meeting to know whether anybody knew any additional information about the lane closures, Stepien called DuHaime to verify Wildstein had told him Kelly knew about the lane closures. DuHaime called Wildstein, who reiterated that Kelly knew before the closures and that he had email evidence. DuHaime passed the information along to Stepien.

The Legislature’s subpoena also seeks information about conversations DuHaime had Jan. 8, when Kelly’s “time for some traffic problems in Fort Lee” email was first reported publicly. That day, Christie decided to cut ties with Stepien, who insisted he had nothing to do with the bridge incident. DuHaime gave Stepien — with whom he has worked on legislative, gubernatorial and presidential campaigns over nearly 20 years — the news about Christie’s decision.

DuHaime had also been sent an email in December 2013 by Matt Mowers, who worked in Christie’s office and then for his re-election campaign, alerting him and Stepien that a Wall Street Journal reporter had contacted him at his new job as New Hampshire Republican Party executive director regarding the Christie’s campaign’s pursuit of an endorsement from Sokolich, the Fort Lee mayor.

The Legislature’s subpoena was dated Monday, and its issuance was announced Wednesday.